The Los Angeles Kings can lean on their past success in Game 7s when looking for guidance ahead of tonight’s game. For the Anaheim Ducks, it’s just the opposite: They’re looking to their failures for motivation.

Anaheim secured the second seed in 2013, but lost to Detroit in the first round in seven games.

“I think the guys in this room have used Game 7 against Detroit, and the entire series against Detroit, as a teaching point this entire year,” Ducks defenseman Ben Lovejoy said, per NHL.com. “We know we did not play our best against them. We wanted to prove to ourselves and prove to the rest of the League that that was a fluke, and we have another opportunity to do that (tonight).”

Ducks forward Andrew Cogliano felt that the team was nervous against Detroit and coach Bruce Boudreau agreed that there was a mental component to the team’s shortcomings last year.

Anaheim has already made it further this time around by defeating the Dallas Stars in six games. The Ducks have also shown their perseverance by coming back in this series after dropping the first two games at home. There are reasons for them to feel good going into Game 7, although that doesn’t change the fact that the Kings are an remarkably difficult team to finish off.

I’m not sure what game you were watching. Because you claim one so called soft goal cost them the game? Take away that goal and the Kings still win 5-2.

In fact the Kings not only won so did their fans who were much louder than the Ducks the whole game. Oh that’s right, they had nothing to cheer about because of that one soft goal. The Ducks need to sell more season tickets so over half the Honda Center won’t be filled with Kings fans in the future. FYI – the Kings have 15,000 season ticket holders in Staples Center which seats 18,118 for hockey. That doesn’t leave too many tickets for Ducks fans. Now who has the most supportive fans? Certainly not that bastian of conservative money, Orange County.

You really don’t know hockey do you? They won 3 in a row after losing the first 2 games at home, against a team that won 4 in a row just to survive the previous series. That is a lot of pressure and shows they have the perseverance to overcome great odds and take charge of the series. With a 20 year old goalie no less.

The Ducks took charge of the series winning 3 in a row but didn’t have the heart to close out the Kings. Don’t blame it now on Gibson. That is just sour grapes. You had Jonas Hiller on the bench who is much more experieinced than Gibson. Gibson looked shell shocked in game 7, completely out of place. Don’t blame losing the series on the one soft goal you think he let in. That is just ridonculous.

muckleflugga - May 16, 2014 at 4:30 PM

apparently bruce boudreau’s assessment of ducks’ game seven takeout by wings is different than lovejoy’s, less fluke and more “… we never felt we were as good as detroit, you know … it was how are we going to beat this team … they had beaten us three overtime games up to that point …”

[ four decided in overtime, two wins apiece actually ]

had it not been for zetterberg’s delay of game penalty and resulting power play goal late-on, game seven wasn’t even close, speed and skill trumping slow and skilled as it so often does

looking at red wings’ minor league arsenal which will become heavier with anthony mantha soon enough, lovejoy’s usage of the term fluke will be stretched even thinner in match-ups to come